Anniversary Trip, Day 2

On the second day of our anniversary trip, we enjoyed sleeping in and then checked out of our hotel - but not before taking a few pictures of the lobby.



The hotel lobby had a cool illuminated ceiling that would change colors periodically:


Thanks to the ever-handy Yelp app on my iPhone, we decided to have breakfast at Pamela's Diner, where Nathan enjoyed a hot chocolate while we perused the menu.


Nathan ordered an omelette and some French toast:



I couldn't resist trying the strawberry crepe hotcakes for which the diner is apparently famous. Crispy yet crepe-like pancakes rolled up around a filling of fresh strawberries and sour cream, and topped with a dab of whipped cream, they were absolutely delicious and everything an extremely unhealthy breakfast ought to be.


We left the diner (a few pounds heavier, I imagine) and decided to drive through New Wilmington on our way back to Erie, in hopes of seeing some nice scenery [oh and maybe a few Amish people too].


Success! Amish people were glimpsed! And yes, I snapped a photo through the car window as we drove past. I know; I'm evil. I couldn't help myself.

We saw a little Amish woman walking along the snowy road at one point, pulling a wooden wagon behind her. It was like stepping back in time by 150 years... very surreal.

After New Wilmington, we made a brief stop at the Grove City outlets, where almost everything in the Banana Republic outlet was at least 50% off their already discounted prices. I picked out a sweater and a tie for Nathan and got two tees for myself.

Then it was back to Erie, where we picked up my NEW CAR. She had been driven in from a dealership in a nearby state and was ready and waiting for us that evening. [She of course deserves a post of her own in the near future.] We said our farewells to the husbandfamily, and then it was off to Rochester, with Nathan in his Honda Civic and me in my new 2010 dark grey Ford Fusion Hybrid.

When we arrived in Rochester, we grabbed a very late dinner at The Old Toad, a crowded, noisy little British pub. Nathan had a burger and fries which he very much enjoyed, while I had the veg stew, which was pretty much what you'd get if you opened a can of kidney beans and a can of tomatoes and mixed them together. So in my opinion you can save yourself a trip to that particular location, but on the other hand, Nathan loved the place.

Again thanks to priceline, we stayed in the Hyatt in Rochester that night. Four-star hotels for $60 or less a night? Yes please.

And that was day 2 of our anniversary trip, minus the kissy-kissy, smoochy-smoochy, stare-into-each-others'-eyes parts, which you can thank me for omitting.